Cannabis producers are proving you can judge a book by its cover.

With heavy restrictions on what they are allowed to put on legal packaging, many Canadian growers are making a statement with the packaging itself.

“We’ve been hearing nothing but negative energy (about) the packaging strategies that have a lot of paper and a lot of waste,” Troy Dezwart, executive director and co-founder of Alberta-based Freedom Cannabis told the Winnipeg Free Press.

In response, the company made the decision to start selling its products in small, distinctive tin containers, that achieve three things: They keep the product fresher, they have a distinct look and they are made for the recycling bin.

“It seemed to make a lot of sense,” Dezwart said. “Although we pay a little bit more for this product than you would for some of the conventional (packages), based on what we’ve heard from consumers, and their pushback on some of the waste with packaging, it’s kind of a trifecta for us.”

It isn’t easy to stand out in a crowded cannabis landscape, so anything companies can do to distinguish themselves helps, said Richard Meloff, vice-president of products with 48North Cannabis.

“In this environment, where you’re not really allowed to use your package as a way to really make a big, bold statement with your brand name or your logo… the actual look and feel of the package was an important differentiator,” Meloff said.

The company also felt it was only responsible to make its packaging recyclable, something Meloff said customers are noticing. “People really appreciate the effort. It’s not perfect, nothing is, yet, but we are making a concerted effort to… try things that are different from everyone else in the marketplace because we care about these values and we want to enforce them,” he added.